As of: February 1, 2024, 8:00 a.m
By: Hans Moritz
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Social Minister Ulrike Scharf wants to expand youth social work in schools - and include high schools.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
The high schools are close to reaching their goal when it comes to youth social work in schools (JaS): The Free State of Bavaria will step in as a subsidy provider for the first time - thereby fulfilling a long-standing demand from school families.
Erding - The cabinet gave the green light in its meeting at Tegernsee at the weekend as part of the 2024/2025 double budget.
The approval of the state parliament is considered certain.
Bavaria's Minister of Social Affairs Ulrike Scharf explained this during the district budget discussions.
JaS, also school social work, is intended to contribute to school peace and to specifically look after young people with social deficits.
Their number has increased massively due to the Corona school closures.
The Free State has already supported so-called school social work - but not at high schools.
Nobody knows exactly the reason for this gap.
The Erdinger high schools had to raise the money themselves, for example through sponsored runs, and receive part of the expenses from the district as a voluntary service.
Up to two thirds of the total costs are funded up to a cap of 12,500 euros per school.
At the Korbinian-Aigner-Gymnasium there were recently twelve hours per week, at the Anne-Frank-Gymnasium eight and at the Dorfen high school seven.
Nothing more was possible in terms of finances and personnel; according to the headmaster, the needs were far higher.
Protests formed in the 2023 state election campaign, the three high schools collected over 2,600 signatures, which they handed over to Scharf before the summer holidays.
They had already announced back then that they would work to expand the funding guidelines.
Now Scharf has good news for the high schools: In the coalition agreement, the CSU and FW had already set out, according to Scharf, the “powerful expansion of the JaS” - with funding also for this type of school.
The corresponding funds are in the double budget for this year and next year, the minister continued.
She speaks of “entry into the fourth expansion stage”, from which not only the high schools benefit, but also the vocational high schools and various support centers and schools, among others.
According to the ministry, one of the next steps is a new JaS manual, which will form the basis for recruiting the staff required to expand the offering.
Scharf reports from the budget negotiations that not only are the 210 JaS positions financed by federal funds to be transferred, but also 100 new JaS positions from September 2024 and a further 70 from September 2025 are planned from state funds.
How much additional JaS will then be possible at the three high schools has not yet been answered.
Because the district will withdraw its funding if there is also state money.
Last year, the annual budget included 20 million euros for the JaS.
In May, the Ministry of Social Affairs counted over 1,245 positions at over 1,675 institutions.
Most recently, the district also increased the JaS funding for the secondary schools - and thus gave them half an additional position each - in order to offset the deficits from the months of school closures during Corona.
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